How stone-pelting incidents have fallen in J&K after abrogation of Article 370

On Monday, the Supreme Court upheld the Centre’s abrogation of Article 370 – which gave Jammu and Kashmir special status in India – in 2019. The development came months after the Centre told the apex court that Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed ‘unprecedented progress and security’ since its decision. Let’s take a look at how stone-pelting incidents have fallen in the Valley since 2019: ‘Unprecedented progress and security’ As per Business Today, the Centre told the apex court that organised stone-pelting incidents – which had a link to the terrorist-separatist agenda – were reduced to zero in 2023 compared to 1,767 in 2018. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court, “In 2018, stone pelting was 1,767 (instances) and it is nil now and calls of organised bandhs (shutdowns) by secessionist forces were 52 and now it is nil.” The Centre said that the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh have witnessed profound “ameliorative, affirmative and progressive changes in last four years encompassing its entire governance - including the developmental activities, public administration and security matters which has positively impacted every resident irrespective of caste, creed or religion”. It added that bandhs and stone pelting (together), engineered, financed and forced by the separatist-terrorist networks, had tremendous negative ripple effects on the economy and the society as a whole. “…the defining characteristic of the security situation in the region, which has a direct bearing on the day-to-day life of common citizens is ‘street violence’ which was a methodical and regular phenomenon. The street violence, engineered and orchestrated by terrorists and secessionist networks has now become a thing of the past,” the Centre stated in its 20-page affidavit. [caption id=“attachment_13490992” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A lot has changed in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. AP[/caption] “In the year 2018, there were 52 incidents of organized ‘Bandh/Hartal’, which have come down to zero in the year 2023 till date. In addition, resolute anti-terror actions have resulted in the dismantling of the terror eco-system which is reflected in a significant drop in terrorist recruitment from 199 in the year 2018 to 12 in the year 2023 till date,” the Centre added. ‘Improved public order and peaceful environment’ Greater Kashmir in August quoted a report by Jammu and Kashmir police as saying that incidents of stone-pelting in the Valley had seen a massive decline. The report stated that the period before the revocation of Article 370 witnessed 5050 incidents compared to just 445 stone-pelting incidents afterwards.

It put the decline of stone-pelting incidents in the state at a massive 92 per cent.

“This decrease signifies improved public order and a more peaceful environment,” the report stated. The report also noted that the number of hartals and bandh call had fallen by 90 per cent since the abrogation of Article 370. “This decrease indicates improved socio-political stability and a reduced impact on daily activities due to strikes or shutdowns,” the report stated. “This move allowed central security forces to be deployed more effectively and provided them with broader powers to tackle insurgency and maintain law and order.” Meanwhile, The Indian Express quoted data from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) as showing that 618 stone-pelting incidents occurred between January and July in 2019.

Meanwhile, the same period in 2020 and 2021 recorded just 222 incidents and a meagre 76 incidents.

The Indian Express quoted security sources as saying that the government deciding to shift those accused of stone-pelting to jails in Uttar Pradesh have worked. It noted that the difficulties associated with being lodged in such jails and being far away from their homes as proving to be a deterrent. According to the newspaper, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has been placing stone-pelting incidents under ‘law and order’ incidents. As per the data, there were just 20 such incidents in J&K in 2022. Home minister Amit Shah in December said Kashmir had witnessed zero stone-pelting incidents in 2023. He said there were 2,654 such incidents in 2010. He also claimed that there were no organised strikes in Kashmir in 2023 compared to 132 in 2010. Shah after today’s verdict said the rights of the poor and deprived have been restored in Jammu and Kashmir. “…separatism and stone pelting are now things of the past,” he added. With inputs from agencies